For years, Burger King tried to own the big eater market. That was most notable in the chain's short-lived "Egg-Normous Breakfast Burrito," a large take on the morning classic stuffed with sausage, thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown coins, shredded cheddar cheese, American cheese, and a creamy spicy sauce all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla.
That sandwich was a sort of spiritual successor to 2005's Meat’Normous Omelet Sandwich. That portable calorie bomb featured lumberjacks in the commercial touting its arrival. It offered hungry customers two eggs, a sausage patty, two slices of smoky ham, three slices of bacon, and two slices of American cheese on a toasted specialty bun.
DON'T MISS: McDonald's menu adds the sandwich you always wanted
Wendy's (WEN) -) has also been in the bigger is better game albeit in a more subtle way. That chain allows fans to add burger patties (up to a total of four) to any of it sandwiches. So, if a classic Baconator isn't enough for you, but you don't want the extra carbohydrates from another bun, you can just add on more burgers (and sides of bacon if you choose).
McDonald's (MCD) -) has mostly avoided the "go big" part of the fast food wars. The chain does sell a Grand Mac in Canada -- a sandwich with more calories than the Meat’Normous Omelet Sandwich -- but it has largely been conscious of offering extreme versions of its sandwiches (perhaps at least in part due to Morgan Spurlock's 2004 "Super Size Me" documentary and partly due to the flack it receives over its Happy Meal children's meal).
Now, however, the chain has decided to go big as it's testing a new "Grand" sandwich in select markets.
Image source: Cate Gillon/Getty Images
McDonald's tests a big chicken sandwich
You can blame Popeye's for creating the idea that chicken sandwiches should be unruly things featuring a giant slab of chicken breast. That led to copycat sandwiches from pretty much every chain that can plausibly sell a chicken sandwich.
McDonald's has tried a number of chicken options before deciding on the McCrispy as its premium chicken option and the more traditional fast-food patty-featuring McChicken sandwich. The chain's latest offering takes that classic take on a chicken sandwich and, well, supersizes it,.
"As the name suggests, the Grand McChicken Sandwich is a bigger version of its namesake, with an extra-large McChicken patty, plus mayonnaise, and shredded lettuce on a toasted bun," Chew Boom reported. "You can find the Grand McChicken Sandwich at select locations in Bakersfield, Chico, Fresno, and Sacramento, California as well as Reno, Nevada."
Also Read:
- Vegas Local Lists 5 Worst Resorts Tourists Should Avoid
- Man's Over-the-Top Taco Bell Hack Is a Sight to Behold
McDonald's bets big on chicken
Don't tell Birdie the Early Bird, but McDonald's has been focusing on growing its chicken business around the world. CFO Ian Borden talked about those efforts during the chain's second-quarter earnings call.
"As I’ve mentioned before, our chicken equities remain at the core of our growth strategy," he said. ",,,Our ambition on chicken includes further scaling emerging equities across markets."
Growing sales for the McCrispy are a key part of that strategy.
"The McCrispy Chicken Sandwich, for example, has now scaled to over 10 of our largest markets, including Spain just this past quarter. The sandwich is already resonating with our customers, bringing attention to our chicken portfolio and driving significant chicken share gains," he added.
McCrispy recently became a billion-dollar brand for the chain.
